The accuracy of Fiber-Optic Raman Spectroscopy in the detection and diagnosis of head and neck neoplasm in vivo: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this article was to review and collectively assess the published studies of fiber-optic Raman spectroscopy (RS) of the in vivo detection and diagnosis of head and neck carcinomas, and to derive a consensus average of the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. Methods The authors searched four databases, including Ovid-Medline, Ovid-Embase, Cochrane Library, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), up to February 2023 for all published studies that assessed the diagnostic accuracy of fiber-optic RS in the in vivo detection of head and neck carcinomas. Nonqualifying studies were screened out in accordance with the specified exclusion criteria, and relevant information about the diagnostic performance of fiber-optic RS was excluded. Publication bias was estimated by Deeks’ funnel plot asymmetry test. A random effects model was adopted to calculate the pooled sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). Additionally, the authors conducted a summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve analysis and threshold analysis, reporting the area under the curve (AUC) to evaluate the overall performance of fiber-optic RS in vivo. Results Ten studies (including 16 groups of data) were included in this article, and a total of 5365 in vivo Raman spectra (cancer = 1,746; normal = 3,619) were acquired from 877 patients. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of fiber-optic RS of head and neck carcinomas were 0.88 and 0.94, respectively. SROC curves were generated to estimate the overall diagnostic accuracy, and the AUC was 0.96 (95% CI [0.94–0.97]). No significant publication bias was found in this meta-analysis by Deeks’ funnel plot asymmetry test. The heterogeneity of these studies was significant; the Q test values of the sensitivity and specificity were 106.23 (P = 0.00) and 64.21 (P = 0.00), respectively, and the I2 index of the sensitivity and specificity were 85.88 (95% CI [79.99–91.77]) and 76.64 (95% CI [65.45–87.83]), respectively. Conclusion Fiber-optic RS was demonstrated to be a reliable technique for the in vivo detection of head and neck carcinoma with high accuracy. However, considering the high heterogeneity of these studies, more clinical studies are needed to reduce the heterogeneity, and further confirm the utility of fiber-optic Raman spectroscopy in vivo.